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21 super easy meals for when you don’t want to cook at all

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By Leah Ingram

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At some point, we all just want to order takeout because we don’t feel like cooking. But when you are on a budget, that’s not always an option. Don’t worry. We’ve got you with these 21 super easy meals that are fast and delicious, and you’ll be so glad you made them.

A fork with pasta near a bowl of mixed pasta salad containing tomatoes, feta cheese, and other vegetables. A wooden spoon and fork rest on a white cloth nearby.
Cold Pasta Salad. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Easy Pasta Puttanesca

A pan full of spaghetti and tomatoes on a tablecloth.
Easy Pasta Puttanesca. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

You can get this Pasta Puttanesca dish on the table in under 30 minutes. It has just a few ingredients and cooks up so quickly that your family won’t believe it’s not a gourmet meal from the local Italian restaurant.
Get the Recipe: Easy Pasta Puttanesca

Honey Chipotle Steak and Potatoes

A fork piercing a piece of a seasoned roasted potato.
Honey Chipotle Steak and Potatoes . Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Expensive meal kit services offer a similar recipe to this Honey Chipotle Steak and Potatoes dish. However, you’ll be spending way less and making it so much faster with this recipe.
Get the Recipe: Honey Chipotle Steak and Potatoes

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta in One Pot

A close-up of creamy macaroni and cheese garnished with parsley.
Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta in One Pot. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

With this Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta in One Pot recipe, you’ll have dinner cooked and on the table in under 30 minutes. It’s so delicious, you’ll be happy you made the effort to make it.
Get the Recipe: Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta in One Pot

30-Minute Creamy Chicken Corn and Pasta

Creamy Chicken And Corn Pasta closeup partial of finished dish cropped horizontal.
30-Minute Creamy Chicken Corn and Pasta. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

With this Creamy Chicken Corn and Pasta recipe, you’ll be able to turn leftovers from another day into a delicious new meal tonight. And it all comes together in about a half hour.
Get the Recipe: 30-Minute Creamy Chicken Corn and Pasta

Fast No Rise PIzza Dough

A ladle pours tomato sauce onto an uncooked pizza dough placed on a round black pan.
Fast No Rise Pizza Dough. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

With this Fast No Rise Pizza Dough, you can make pizza at home for pennies and way faster than if you ordered delivery. If you decide to make two pies, you’ll have leftovers for tomorrow.
Get the Recipe: Fast No Rise PIzza Dough

Fried Chicken in the Crock Pot

A whole chicken seasoned with herbs and spices in a slow cooker, ready to be cooked.
Fried Chicken in the Crock Pot. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

A slow cooker or Crock Pot can really save your dinner butt on busy weeknights. This “fried” chicken recipe is one my family begs me to make over and over again. I’ll bet yours will, too, once they taste it.
Get the Recipe: Fried Chicken in the Crock Pot

Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce

A hand holding a slice of freshly baked pizza with cheese stretching between the slice and the rest of the pizza.
Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Once you’ve made the fast, no-rise pizza dough mentioned earlier, you can add a pop of unexpected but delicious flavor to your pizza sauce by blending in goat cheese. You’ll love it.
Get the Recipe: Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce

Easy Shrimp Scampi

A blue bowl filled with shrimp and rice, topped with green herbs, with a metal spoon in the bowl.
Easy Shrimp Scampi. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Shrimp scampi is a quick and easy meal that will make eating at home feel like a special occasion. Plus, you won’t break a sweat cooking it up, especially if you start with frozen, deveined shrimp.
Get the Recipe: Easy Shrimp Scampi

Easy Cold Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

A white bowl filled with tri-color rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber chunks, and feta cheese on a red-and-white checkered tablecloth.
Easy Cold Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

We created this easy cold pasta salad recipe with Italian dressing years ago when we were looking for a hearty, satisfying meal when it was hot out. The longest part of this recipe is waiting for the pasta to cook.
Get the Recipe: Easy Cold Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

A bowl of rice with corn and herbs on a striped cloth with garnishes on the side.
Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Craving Mexican food tonight? Try this instead. With this Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole, you need just five ingredients, including leftover rice, chicken and cheese, to pull dinner together fast.
Get the Recipe: Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls

A person pulling apart a gooey, cheese-filled arancini with more of the fried rice balls and sauce in the background.
Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

If you miss buying arancini rice balls from Trader Joe’s, there’s no reason to stop by the store. You can make this recipe at home. It’s delightful, delicious and an easy way to use up leftover risotto.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls

Leftover Lasagna That Tastes Freshly Made

A slice of freshly baked lasagna with melted cheese on a white plate.
Best Way to Reheat Lasagna. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Let’s face it: sometimes the easiest and fastest dinner to make is heating up leftovers. However, if you’re looking to heat up last night’s lasagna, you’ll want to follow these tips so it tastes like you just made it.
Get the Recipe: Best Way to Reheat Lasagna

Broccoli Chicken Cheese Casserole

A close-up of a baked broccoli and cheese casserole in a white dish.
Broccoli Chicken Casserole. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

This Broccoli Chicken Cheese Casserole is the tastiest casserole ever, with all the ingredients your family will love. Prep and cook it so fast that you’ll be eating in no time.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Chicken Cheese Casserole

No Fail Sourdough Pizza Dough

A partially eaten pizza topped with arugula, red onion, mushrooms, and jalapeños on a cutting board next to a stack of white plates.
Sourdough Pizza. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

The crust on a sourdough pizza dough is nothing like you’ve ever tasted. So if you’ve got a sourdough starter you can use, you’ll make the best homemade pizza your family has ever tasted.
Get the Recipe: No Fail Sourdough Pizza Dough

Steak in the Air Fryer

Close-up of a fork holding a piece of medium-rare cooked beef steak, with visible seasonings and a slice of lemon in the background.
Steak in the Air Fryer. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Did you ever think about making Steak in the Air Fryer? This handy kitchen tool is on heavy rotation in my kitchen because it makes delicious meals in no time, including steak.
Get the Recipe: Steak in the Air Fryer

Barbecue Sauce Chicken Drumsticks in Air Fryer

A close-up of chopsticks holding a piece of glazed, grilled chicken. The chicken appears juicy and well-cooked.
Barbecue Sauce Chicken Drumsticks in Air Fryer. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Barbecuing goes hand-in-hand with summer meals. This is an easy recipe for making chicken drumsticks in the air fryer that you slather with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Get the Recipe: Barbecue Sauce Chicken Drumsticks in Air Fryer

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Close-up of a stack of seasoned, grilled chicken drumsticks, with one drumstick partially eaten, revealing moist, cooked meat inside. A lemon wedge and herbs are visible in the background.
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Considering getting a drive-through bucket of chicken? Nah. Try this recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks instead. Prep and cooking time is only 30 minutes. The flavor will leave your family asking for seconds.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Shrimp Scampi Over Linguine

A hand holding a fork twirls spaghetti with shrimp in a white bowl, with a glass of white wine in the background on a wooden table.
Shrimp Scampi Over Linguine. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Pour yourself a glass of wine to eat with this classic Italian dish of linguine and shrimp scampi. It looks and sounds expensive and fancy but it’s really easy, fast and, of course, delicious.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Scampi Over Linguine

Salmon in the Air Fryer

A fork holding a piece of cooked salmon, with more salmon fillets, lemon slices, and seasoning shakers in the background.
Salmon in the Air Fryer. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Salmon in the Air Fryer tastes like something you would order at your favorite seafood restaurant, except without the wait for a table and the expensive bill at the end of the night.
Get the Recipe: Salmon in the Air Fryer

Copycat Supermarket Chicken Rotisserie

Close-up of a roasted chicken with crispy, golden-brown skin seasoned with herbs and coarse salt, on a wooden cutting board.
Copycat Supermarket Chicken Rotisserie. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Make a healthier version of rotisserie chicken at home with this Copycat Supermarket Chicken Rotisserie in the air fryer. Once cooked you can serve in tacos, over salad or eat it off the bone.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Supermarket Chicken Rotisserie

Air Fryer Ribeye Steaks

Close-up of a stack of medium-rare, seasoned steak slices, showcasing a pink and juicy interior with a seared crust.
Air Fryer Ribeye Steaks. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Drive right by the steak restaurant and grab some steaks out of the freezer. This recipe for Air Fryer Ribeye Steaks has everything cooked and on your plate in about 30 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Ribeye Steaks

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